JPH1052460A - Reclining mechanism of wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reclining mechanism in which, when the back support frame of a wheelchair is reclined, the back support frame is reclined following the back of an user and the back is not rubbed by the back support frame. SOLUTION: In this wheelchair, a seat is mounted on its top surface, and a back support frame 11 is supported at the rear of a frame body 1 with a pair of front and rear wheels respectively via a reclining mechanism 13 so that the back support frame 11 can be reclined. The reclining mechanism 13 is a four-point link mechanism in which the upper center of the frame body 1 and the bottom end of the back support frame 11 are connected with a first link 15, and at the rear of the reclining mechanism 13, the frame body 1 and the slightly upper position of the bottom end of the back support frame 11 are connected with a second link 18, and the back support frame 11 is drawn into the frame body 1 and reclined, then extended upward against the frame body 1 to stand.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reclining mechanism for a wheelchair used by a physically handicapped person, an elderly person and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a wheelchair having a seat on an upper surface, a back support frame provided on a rear side of a frame body supported by a pair of left and right front wheels and rear wheels, and the back support frame configured to be reclined. Various proposals have been made.

However, the above-mentioned conventional reclining wheelchair is generally provided such that the back support frame is directly pivoted to the rear portion of the seat, and the back support frame reclines with the pivot point as a fulcrum. Therefore, there is a large deviation between the bending point of the body and the fulcrum of the back support frame when the user raises the upper body or sleeps, and the back support frame and the back are rubbed every time the user reclines, causing a back pain. Had become.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-described problems, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and when the back support frame of a reclining wheelchair is reclined, the back support frame follows the movement of the back, and the back support frame and the back support frame are moved. An object of the present invention is to provide a reclining mechanism for a wheelchair that can eliminate friction.

[0005]

The present invention has been made as follows in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, in a wheelchair in which a back support frame 11 is reclineably supported via a reclining mechanism 13 on the rear side of a frame body 1 having a seat on an upper surface and having a pair of left and right front wheels 7 and a rear wheel 8, the reclining mechanism 13 is provided. Is the back support frame 1
1 is a reclining mechanism for a wheelchair, wherein the reclining mechanism is configured to be tilted while being pulled downward with respect to the frame main body 1 and to stand while being extended upward with respect to the frame main body 1.

Further, in a wheelchair having a seat on an upper surface thereof and a back support frame 11 supported by a reclining mechanism 13 on a rear side of a frame body 1 having a pair of left and right front wheels 7 and a rear wheel 8 via a reclining mechanism. The reclining mechanism 13 connects the upper front-rear intermediate portion of the frame main body 1 and the lower end of the back support frame 11 with a first link 15, and at the rear side, slightly above the lower ends of the frame main body 1 and the back support frame 11. The back support frame 11 is tilted down while being pulled downward with respect to the frame main body 1,
The reclining mechanism in a wheelchair is characterized in that it stands up while extending upward with respect to the frame body 1.

[0007]

In this reclining mechanism, the lower end of the back support frame and the frame body are connected by a first link, and the lower end of the back support frame and a position slightly shifted upward from the frame body are connected by a second link. The frame is supported so that it can be reclined. When the back support frame is reclined, the lower end of the back support frame moves substantially horizontally forward, and the lower end of the back support frame moves slightly forward and downward. That is, the back support frame is tilted while being drawn downward with respect to the frame body. Conversely, when raising the tilted back support frame, the back support frame operates so as to rise while extending upward with respect to the frame body. Therefore, at the time of reclining, the back support frame follows the movement of the back, and rubbing between the back support frame and the back can be eliminated.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a frame body. The frame main body 1 is formed by connecting a pair of side frames 2, which are formed by connecting a front end side of a frame pipe 2 a formed in a U-shape with a front opening in a side view by a vertical pipe 2 b in a vertical direction to the left and right. The vertical pipes 2b, 2b are connected to each other by horizontal pipes 3, 4 so as to be integrally formed. A bracket 5 is fixed downward at the front and rear intermediate portion of the upper horizontal portion of the frame pipe 2a, and the bracket 5.5 is connected by a horizontal pipe 6. The upper surface of the frame body 1 is used as a seat.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a front wheel, which is rotatably mounted on a lower end of the vertical pipe 2b via a fork 7a rotatable around the axis of the vertical pipe 2b.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a rear wheel, which is rotatably supported at the rear end of the side frame 2 at the lower end of a turning arm 9 having an intermediate portion pivotably mounted in the front-rear direction. The left and right rotating arms 9, 9 are integrally connected by a horizontal connecting pipe 10.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a back support frame, which is an upper frame portion 11a.
And the upper end of the lower frame portion 11b is pivotally mounted on the lower frame portion 11b so as to be foldable.
The fixing means 12 is provided so as to be fixable in a state where a and the lower frame portion 11b form one plane. Since the back support frame 11 is configured to be foldable in this manner, the back support frame 11 is compact and convenient when stored.

The back support frame 11 is supported at a rear portion of the frame body 1 via a reclining mechanism 13 so as to be tiltable rearward from an upright state. As shown in FIG. 4, the reclining mechanism 13 connects the bracket 14 protruding from the horizontal pipe 6 and the lower end of the back support frame 11 by a first link 15 and A second link 18 connects a bracket 16 fixed to a rear position of the rear support frame 11 and a bracket 17 provided at a position slightly above the lower end of the back support frame 11 to form a four-point link mechanism.

The reclining mechanism 13 operates as follows. As shown in FIG. 5, the reclining mechanism 13 sets each link such that the distal end of the first link 15 moves substantially horizontally forward and the distal end of the second link 18 moves forward and downward. I have. That is, the back support frame 11 acts on the frame body 1 so as to be tilted while being drawn downward. Conversely, when the back support frame 11 is erected, the back support frame 11 acts so as to extend upward with respect to the frame main body 1.
Therefore, the back support frame 11 reclines following the user's back, and the rub between the back support frame 11 and the back is reduced.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a telescopic fixing device, which can be expanded and contracted by an appropriate operation and can be fixed at an appropriate position. In this embodiment, a gas spring is used. The telescopic fixing device 19 has one end pivotally attached to a bracket 20 projecting from the left and right intermediate portion of the horizontal pipe 4 of the frame main body 1, and the other end integrally formed with the left and right first links 15, 15. It is pivotally attached to a bracket 22 projecting from a connecting pipe 21 to be connected, and is provided so that the back support frame 11 reclines by the expansion and contraction operation of the expansion and contraction fixing device 19. When the telescopic fixing device 19 is fixed, the back support frame 11 is held in the reclining state.

An interlocking link 23 has one end connected to the first link.
The link 15 has the other end connected to the upper end of the rotating arm 9, and is provided so that the rear wheel 8 moves rearward in conjunction with the reclining of the back support frame 11 as shown in FIG. 6. That is, it constitutes a fall prevention means A for preventing the wheelchair from falling backward due to the rearward movement of the center of gravity occurring during reclining.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a brake device, which is a back support frame 1
A brake pin 25 provided at the tip of a link, which is vertically rotatable to the rotating arm 9 via a wire 26, is connected to a rear end of the rear wheel 8 by a brake lever 25, which is rotatably mounted on the back of the rear wheel 8. It is provided so that it can be appropriately switched between a state in which the outer peripheral portion is pressed and a state in which the outer peripheral portion is separated. The left and right brake pins 27 are integrally formed so that the left and right rear wheels 8, 8 can be braked simultaneously.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a leg support frame, the upper end of which is pivotally attached to the front end of the upper horizontal portion of the side frame 2 so as to be vertically rotatable. At the lower end of the leg support frame 28, an intermediate portion on the left, right, front and rear sides of a step mounting pipe 29 formed in a U-shape with a front opening in plan view is mounted. The rear end of the step mounting pipe 29 and the bracket 30 protruding from the horizontal pipe 3 are connected to each other by a connecting link 31.
To form a four-point link mechanism, and the steps 32 attached to the left and right ends of the step mounting pipe 29 interlock with the upward movement of the leg support frame 28 to form the leg support frame 28. It is provided to rotate in the direction in which the angle opens.

The connecting link 31 has an outer pipe 31a.
The inner pipe 31b is slidably fitted to the inner pipe 31b, and a stopper ring 31c that can be fixed in place is slidably fitted to the inner pipe 31b. That is, since the front end of the step mounting pipe 29 is heavy, the rear end of the connecting link 31 is urged upward and acts in the shortening direction, and the stopper ring 31c fixed to the inner pipe 31b is brought into contact with the lower end of the outer pipe 31a. The step mounting pipe 29 is fixed at the contact position. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
By changing the fixing position of c, the angle of the step mounting pipe 29, that is, the step 32 can be changed and adjusted. Further, since the connecting link 31 is freely extendable, the step 32 can be flipped up to be easily folded as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.

Reference numeral 33 denotes support means for the leg support frame 28. This is because the front end of the support plate 36 is pivotally connected to a bracket 35 projecting from a pipe 34 provided horizontally at the upper and lower intermediate portions of the leg support frame 28, and a through hole formed at the center of the support plate 36. A lateral support shaft 39 provided at the tip of a bracket 38 projecting from the horizontal pipe 4 is inserted through the portion 37. The through-hole portion 37 is integrally formed with engaging grooves 37a, 37b, and 37c that are convex upward.
The support shaft 39 is engaged with one of the engagement grooves to support the leg support frame 28. That is,
In this embodiment, the angle of the leg support frame 28 can be adjusted in three stages.

The upper end surface of the through hole 37 of the support plate 36 moves along the support shaft 39 by its own weight, and when the leg support frame 28 is lifted, the support shaft 39 is automatically engaged. The grooves are sequentially engaged with the grooves 37a to 37b and 37c, and the support angle of the leg support frame 28 is changed stepwise. Conversely, in order to lower it to the original state, the support plate 36 may be lifted to disengage the support shaft 39 from the engagement groove. At this time, the leg support frame 28 is vertically rotatable.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a connecting rod, both ends of which are the first rod.
The bracket 41 is connected to a bracket 41 protruding from the connecting pipe 21 provided between the links 15 and 15 and an upper front portion of the support plate 36. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the connecting rod 40 is compressed in the axial direction, and the support plate 36 is biased and held relatively upward, so that the support plate 36
Is movable back and forth along the support shaft 39,
When the back support frame 11 is reclined, the leg support frame 28 rotates upward in conjunction with the recline.

The connecting rod 40 is configured to be extendable like the connecting link 31. That is, when the leg support frame 28 is rotated upward from the state shown by the solid line in FIG.
As the connecting rod 40 expands, its axial compression is removed, and the support plate 36 moves down by its own weight. Then, the support shaft 39 is engaged with any of the engagement grooves, and the leg support frame 28 is supported by the support plate 36. As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. Regardless, the angle of only the leg support frame 28 can be changed. To bring the back support frame 11 and the leg support frame 28 into an interlocked state again, the support plate 36 is lifted to disengage the support shaft 39 from the engagement groove, and the leg support frame 28 is rotated downward. The connecting rod 40 may be brought into the shortest state, or the back support frame 11 may be reclined until the connecting rod 40 becomes the shortest state in which a compressive load is applied.

Reference numerals 42 denote armrests provided on the left and right sides of the frame body 1, and are provided at the upper end of a support pipe 43 in the vertical direction. The support pipe 43 is slidably fitted to a cylindrical body 44 attached to a side portion of the frame main body 1 so that the armrest 42 can move in the vertical direction. Reference numeral 45 denotes a stopper rotatably attached to the cylindrical body 44 and capable of switching between a state in which the lower end of the support pipe 43 is received and a state in which it is not received. That is, when the stopper 45 receives the lower end of the support pipe 43, the armrest 4
2 is held at the raised position, and when the stopper 45 is avoided so as not to receive the lower end of the support pipe 43, the armrest 42 is provided to be lowered to a position substantially equal to or lower than the seat surface and held. When the armrest 42 is lowered, it can be easily transferred from the side of the wheelchair to a bed or the like.

[0025]

As described above, according to the reclining mechanism of the wheelchair of the present invention, when the back support frame is reclined, the back support frame is tilted backward while being retracted downward with respect to the frame body, and Since the erecting and rotating operation is performed while extending upward, the back support frame follows the movement of the user's back, and the back support frame and the back can be prevented from rubbing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a wheelchair including a reclining mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an overall side view showing a state where a back support frame is reclined.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a reclining mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of its operation.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the operation of the overturn prevention means.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of operation of a brake lever.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the brake device.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the leg support frame and its support means.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the angle of the step is changed.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing an interlocking operation state of the back support frame and the leg support frame.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory view when the leg support frame is rotated upward from a wheelchair state.

FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating the operation of the armrest.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Frame main body 7 Front wheel 8 Rear wheel 11 Back support frame 13 Reclining mechanism 15 1st link 18 2nd link

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A wheelchair having a seat on an upper surface and a back support frame 11 supported by a reclining mechanism 13 on a rear side of a frame body 1 having a pair of left and right front wheels 7 and a rear wheel 8 via a reclining mechanism. The reclining mechanism 13 tilts while pulling the back support frame 11 downward with respect to the frame body 1, and
A reclining mechanism for a wheelchair, wherein the reclining mechanism is configured to stand up while being extended upward with respect to. 2. A wheelchair in which a back support frame 11 is reclineably supported via a reclining mechanism 13 on a rear side of a frame body 1 having a pair of front wheels 7 and a rear wheel 8 with a seat on an upper surface portion and having a pair of left and right front wheels 7 and rear wheels 8. The reclining mechanism 13 connects the upper front-rear intermediate portion of the frame body 1 to the lower end of the back support frame 11 with a first link 15 and, at the rear side, the frame body 1 and the back support frame 1.
A lower link 1 is connected to a slightly upper position by a second link 18. The four-point link mechanism is tilted while pulling the back support frame 11 downward with respect to the frame main body 1. A reclining mechanism for a wheelchair, wherein the reclining mechanism is configured to stand up while extending upward.